NEW MARKET, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The Federal Aviation Administration has released its preliminary report for last month’s deadly plane crash in New Market.
According to the report, the plane left Knoxville Downtown Island Airport in Knoxville at 12:41 p.m. on April 13. It then went northeast and southeast toward Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport using a designated waypoint that marks the beginning of the runway approach.
At the start of the runway approach area, the plane made a left turn and a low approach over the runway, indicating a missed approach. The plane then made one circuit in a holding pattern before turning toward New Market. The report said the plane made a right turn as its groundspeed decreased to 17 knots before it entered a steep descent toward the ground, where it crashed.
Investigators spoke to two witnesses after the crash. One said he saw the plane in a left bank with its nose down before it crashed, but he did not hear any engine noise or see smoke or fire coming from the plane.
The other witness, however, noted the airplane did not sound normal as it flew over the river nearby. While she did not see the airplane, she said it “sounded as if it were in a spiral” and reported the engine sound changed drastically several times “between what sounded like full power and idle at 1 second intervals” before the crash.
Two people died in the crash: 75-year-old Allen Holman, of Knoxville, and 49-year-old Edwin Robbins, of Seymour.
The full report can be found below:
